明代的乡绅,作为一个特殊的社会阶层,既不同于前朝的门阀郡望,又有别于后世的地主土豪。他们的构成虽不复杂,形成的原因却颇具特色,对社会的危害也非同一般。由于他们难于管制,引发民愤,曾经掀起过一场少见的“家奴杀主”的风潮。这既是明代乡绅的悲剧,也是中国历史上一个发人深省的问题。 Ming squire gentry, as a special social class, is different from the former dynasty gatekeeper, but also different from future generations of landowners. Although their composition is not complicated, the reason for their formation is quite distinctive and the harm done to society is also extraordinary. Because of their hard-to-control, triggering public anger, there has been a rare “slave slayer” trend. This is both the tragedy of gentry in the Ming Dynasty and a thought-provoking issue in Chinese history.